Hagamos un trato [English translation]

Partner

you1know

you can count

on me2

not up to two

or up to ten

but count

on me

if you ever

notice

that I look into your eyes

and a streak of love

you recognize in mine

do not ready your guns

nor think "what a delusion!"

despite the streak

or maybe because of it

you can count

on me

if at other times

you find me

surly for no reason

do not think "what a bore!"

you can still count

on me

but let's make a deal

I would like to count

on you

it's so nice

to know that you exist

one feels alive

and when I say this

I mean counting

even if it's up to two

even if it's up to five

not so you come

hurrying to my aid

but to know

for sure

that you know you can

count on me.

1. Throughout this poem, Benedetti uses the formal "you" in Spanish, which is "usted", as opposed to the informal "tú".2. In Spanish, "to count on [sb]" is written the same way as "to count with [sb]".